Chapter 107: Lily and Angela

The cold shadowless lamps cast intersecting pale lights and shadows across the West Wing Transfer Platform, and Claire's boots made a dull echo against the metal floor.

She tightened her waist pouch a bit more; inside, the bottles of Universal Anti-viral Agent clinked softly against each other. They represented Sherry's only hope for survival.

The transfer platform connected to the opposite corridor, with a bottomless elevator shaft in the center that looked like a dark, devouring maw. The air was thick with the mixed scent of rust and decay. Occasionally, the dragging footsteps of zombies could be heard in the distance, but they were separated by thick alloy doors and posed no immediate threat.

Claire quickened her pace, wanting only to return to the Observation Room as soon as possible. Just as she was about to step onto the corridor leading to the Observation Room, a piercing sound of tearing metal suddenly came from above.

"CLANG—!"

A massive section of the alloy ceiling collapsed entirely, sending debris and dust flying everywhere. Claire jumped back instinctively, aiming her gun at the dust-filled gap, her heart pounding wildly.

A massive figure slowly emerged from the dust and crashed heavily onto the metal platform, making the entire floor tremble.

It was William Birkin.

But he was completely different from the g2 form Claire had seen before. The giant claw on his right shoulder was covered in deep, bone-exposing gashes. A massive gash had been torn across his chest muscles, and dark green bodily fluids dripped continuously from the wound, corroding small pits into the floor.

His movements were noticeably sluggish, and every step was accompanied by heavy wheezing. His once bloodshot eyes now held nothing but pure madness and pain, as if he had just survived a brutal deathmatch.

"That damn thing again?!" Claire gritted her teeth, her revolver's sights locked firmly onto William's head.

At that moment, the alloy door behind Claire slid open with a sudden hiss.

"William! This ends now!"

Annette's voice carried a hint of a tremor but was exceptionally firm. She stood at the doorway, her left hand holding an injector gun filled with a pale blue liquid, and her right hand gripping a strange-looking Acid Launcher, its muzzle aimed directly at William's chest. Her hair was messy, her lab coat was covered in stains, and her eyes were a tangle of pain, resolve, and a final lingering trace of love.

"Don't go any further." Annette's voice choked up for a moment, her hand holding the gun trembling slightly. "I won't let you hurt anyone else."

Before her voice even faded, she suddenly pulled the trigger of the injector gun.

A high-pressure syringe shot through the air, accurately piercing William's neck. The pale blue G-Virus Prototype Inhibitor was rapidly injected into his body. William let out a shrill scream of agony, and his massive frame convulsed violently. The giant claw on his right shoulder began to retract uncontrollably, and the muscles on his body started to wither rapidly.

Taking advantage of his weakness, Annette didn't hesitate for a second and immediately pulled the trigger of the Acid Launcher.

A dark green acid round whistled through the air, hitting William squarely in the chest. The highly corrosive liquid instantly soaked into his skin, making a horrifying sizzling sound and emitting plumes of white smoke. William's screams grew even more shrill as he stumbled back several steps. His massive body swayed before finally crashing to the ground with a loud boom, motionless.

The entire platform fell silent instantly, leaving only the sizzling sound of the acid corrosion and the heavy breathing of the two women.

Claire slowly lowered her gun, warily watching the motionless William on the ground, and cautiously stepped forward with Annette.

William lay on the ground, his body already beginning to shrivel. His once hideous features had become blurred, leaving only a faint human outline. Looking at her former husband, now turned into this thing that was neither man nor ghost, Annette felt a complex mix of emotions.

"What on earth is this thing?" she couldn't help but whisper.

Annette took a deep breath, looking at William on the ground with hollow eyes, her voice as raspy as sandpaper: "He is my husband... William Birkin."

She paused, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I should have had the chance to kill him. Back when he first injected the G-Virus, before he became like this. But I just... couldn't do it."

"I understand." Claire nodded gently, her tone softening significantly. "Because he was your husband."

"No, you don't understand." Annette shook her head, her eyes filled with self-deprecation. "To be honest, we've long considered our work more important than each other. We spent more time in the lab than we ever did at home together."

At the mention of Sherry, Claire's tone instantly turned cold: "What about Sherry? How could you leave her alone? Do you have any idea how scared she was?"

Annette's body jolted, and tears finally burst from her eyes. She turned her head away, her voice carrying a sob: "I could never leave her in a world with the G-Virus, especially..."

Before she could finish, a sudden mutation occurred.

The massive eye on William's shoulder, which had been tightly closed, suddenly snapped open, its crimson pupil staring fixedly at Annette. Before either of them could react, a thick tentacle suddenly surged from William's back, wrapping around Annette's waist like a whip.

"Annette!" Claire cried out, raising her gun to fire.

But it was too late. The tentacle swung violently, slamming Annette hard against the nearby alloy wall. With a crisp crack, Annette coughed up a mouthful of blood and slumped to the ground, the Acid Launcher flying from her hand.

"Cough, cough..." Annette clutched her chest, coughing violently as blood continuously trickled from the corner of her mouth.

Claire rushed to her side, trying to help her up, but was pushed away by Annette.

"Don't worry about me! Run!" Annette's face was as pale as paper, her eyes filled with terror. "He's about to evolve!"

Claire spun around only to see William on the ground undergoing a terrifying transformation. His previously shriveled body was swelling at a speed visible to the naked eye, and his human torso was disappearing completely.

Two massive scythe-like claws grew from his back, glinting with a cold light. The monster's original small head was also rapidly enlarging, and a massive mouth filled with fangs split open across its face.

G3 Form.

William had completely lost all human characteristics, becoming a pure killing machine.

He slowly stood up, his massive frame almost filling half the transfer platform. His crimson eyes swept over Claire and Annette, and he let out a deafening roar.

Annette struggled to crawl up from the ground, picking up the Acid Launcher that had fallen nearby. She wanted to fire again, but her injuries were too severe; she didn't even have the strength to lift her arm.

Claire snatched the gun from her hand and stuffed the Universal Anti-viral Agent from her backpack into Annette's arms.

"Let me do it!" Claire's eyes were exceptionally determined. "Take this and go find Sherry in the Observation Room. Leave this to me."

"Are you crazy?" Annette grabbed her arm, shouting urgently. "You don't know what you're facing! You're no match for him!"

"I know exactly what I'm doing." Claire shook off her hand and gripped her revolver tightly, a round already chambered. "But Sherry can't lose you. Go!"

Annette looked at Claire's determined eyes, then at the encroaching G3 William. She gritted her teeth and finally nodded: "You must come back alive. Sherry... she really likes you."

With that, she turned and stumbled away toward the Observation Room.

G3 William let out an angry roar and swung his massive claws to give chase. Claire immediately pulled the trigger, her bullet hitting him precisely in the eye.

"Your opponent is me!"

G3 William recoiled in pain, his head snapping around. His crimson eyes locked onto Claire, and he lunged at her, swinging his massive claws.

Meanwhile, at the elevator entrance on Basement Level 2 of the East Wing.

Chloe leaned against the cold wall, gasping for breath. Cold sweat had soaked through her clothes, dripping from her chin and forming a small puddle on the floor.

The backlash from the t-epsilon virus was becoming increasingly severe. Her vision had started to double, her ears were ringing, and her head felt as if it were being pierced by countless needles.

Hearing the noise, several zombies shuffled from the end of the corridor, emitting raspy growls.

Chloe looked up, a flash of crimson in her eyes. She didn't use her Blade Claws to end the fight quickly as usual; instead, like an enraged beast, she lunged forward.

Her movements were so fast they were mere afterimages. Her fingernails became as sharp as knives as she directly tore open a zombie's throat. When another zombie lunged, she grabbed its head with a backhand and twisted hard.

"CRACK."

The crisp sound of bone snapping rang out. She had literally twisted the zombie's head off, and red blood sprayed all over her.

Chloe panted, looking at her blood-stained hands, a flash of confusion and fear in her eyes. Her reason was being slowly devoured by the virus, and her physical instincts were beginning to take over.

"Don't lose control..." She bit her tongue, using the pain to stay conscious. "Sherry is still waiting for me... Jill is still waiting for me..."

Taking a deep breath, she dragged her heavy steps into the elevator leading to Basement Level 4.

The elevator doors slowly closed, and the floor numbers ticked by. Chloe leaned against the elevator wall and closed her eyes, trying hard to calm the restless virus inside her.

"Ding."

The elevator reached Basement Level 4. As the doors opened, the cold smell of disinfectant rushed in. Unlike the chaotic labs above, this area was exceptionally clean and tidy. Rows of sealed Observation Rooms lined both sides of the corridor, the spaces behind the glass empty.

Following Annette's instructions, Chloe walked to the end of the corridor and found the alloy door labeled 【Clone Observation Room S-01 Series】.

The Observation Room was pitch black, with only the faint blue light from the central console's screen. Chloe turned on her flashlight, the beam sweeping across the room.

Her pupils suddenly contracted.

The two clones she expected were not in the room. There were only two massive observation windows, both empty, with only scattered medical equipment and dried traces of nutrient solution remaining. The glass of the observation windows was covered in cracks, as if someone had forcibly broken out from the inside.

Both clones were gone.

Chloe's heart sank, but she had no time to dwell on it. The priority was to find the T-ε inhibitor. She walked to the central console and began searching quickly.

Just then, her gaze fell on a transparent transport tube above the console. A tube of pale purple liquid was stuck at a corner of the transport tube. The mouth of the pipe was clearly stamped: T-ε Virus Inhibitor Stock Solution 1998.09.10.

Chloe breathed a sigh of relief and reached for the inhibitor, but found the transport tube was too high; she couldn't reach it at all.

Just as she was about to find something to knock the transport tube down, a childish voice suddenly came from above her, carrying a hint of innocence and curiosity:

"Do you need this too?"

Chloe looked up sharply, the flashlight beam shining toward the ceiling.

A little girl, looking only seven or eight years old, had her legs hooked around the pipes on the ceiling, hanging upside down and swaying like she was on a swing. She had the same silver-white hair as Chloe and a pair of crystal-clear blue eyes, her features as delicate as a doll's.

Seeing Chloe look over, the little girl giggled, then released her legs, leaping lightly from the three-meter-high ceiling and landing steadily on the floor without making a sound.

"Lily needs this too, but she couldn't get it, and then she fell asleep." The little girl tilted her head, looking at Chloe, her tone as flat as if she were speaking of something trivial.

Chloe frowned, watching her warily: "Lily?"

"Lily is Lily." The little girl circled Chloe slowly like a curious kitten, then leaned in close to Chloe and sniffed deeply. "I'm Angela, I don't need this."

She looked up at Chloe, her blue eyes devoid of any emotion: "Dr. Isaacs says you are all defects."

Chloe was amused by the absurdity. In all her life, this was the first time she had been called a defect by her own clone. She crouched down, trying to make her tone as gentle as possible, and reached out to pat Angela's head.

Angela didn't dodge, letting Chloe's hand rest on her long silver-white hair.

"Angela," Chloe looked into her eyes and asked softly, "do you know where there's any more complete inhibitor?"

Angela tilted her head and blinked, looking completely blank: "Inhibitor? What's that? Is it edible?"

Chloe sighed helplessly; it seemed she wouldn't get any useful information from this little girl. She stood up, took an empty syringe and a scalpel from a nearby cabinet, and then carefully sliced open the transport tube with the scalpel.

The pale purple inhibitor stock solution slowly flowed out, and Chloe quickly caught it with the syringe. Once the syringe was full, she didn't hesitate for a second and stabbed it directly into her neck.

The cool stock solution rapidly entered her bloodstream, and a powerful force instantly swept through her body. The previous bone-deep weakness vanished, and the restless t-epsilon virus inside her seemed to have met its natural enemy, instantly becoming docile.

Chloe could clearly feel the strength returning to her body bit by bit. The Blade Claws at her fingertips emerged once more, glinting with a cold light.

She pulled out the syringe, threw it on the ground, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Angela stood by the whole time, quietly watching her every move, an imperceptible light flashing in her blue eyes.